Xander's Twin Sister
by Stars Noble
Summary: What if Xander had a twin sister who was a witch and their parents sent her away to Brightstaff Academy? What if she decided to come back to Sunnydale after she finished her schooling? This is the twists the series would take in my mind if Xander had a twin sister.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: ** What if Xander had a twin sister who was a witch and their parents sent her away to Brightstaff Academy? What if she decided to come back to Sunnydale after she finished her schooling? This is the twists the series would take in my mind if Xander had a twin sister.

**AN: ** Xander's sister's name is Alexandria but she goes by Xandria or Dria. She came home every summer so Willow knows her. Xandria and Xander wrote letters back and forth every year during the school year. Xandria telling Xander of all the cool things she was learning and how her grades were doing and Xander telling Xandria about all the horrors of normal school and who not to mess with when she finally joined him in school.

**Chapter 1**

"Miss Harris, I'm pleased to inform you that you have passed your thirteenth year exams with flying colors. You've passed every subject with the highest scores we've seen in years in only a quarter of the time allotted and your practicals were outstanding. It is with great pleasure that we offer you the opportunity to accept your masters with out taking the test or going through an apprenticeship. The decision is yours," Mr. Wellington, Head of the Western USA Wizarding Community said.

"Mr. Wellington, I will accept my Masters and I thank you for your time. Also, I want to thank you for allowing me to take my exams a year early and so soon after I completed my twelfth year at Brightstaff," Xandria said with a small bow hands clasped in front of her.

"My dear it is a pleasure. After all you did wish to spend at least the last two years of high school with your brother if I'm not mistaken. All of the documents you need have been sent ahead and your parents have been contacted. Also, I contacted The Magic Shop in Sunnydale and told them that you may need a place of employment and I made sure to tell them that you were well qualified to handle anything they were to throw your way. If there is ever anything I can do for you don't hesitate to contact me, my dear," he said.

"Thank you again sir. I won't forget this. I hope to make you proud," she said with a smile.

"Now, one last thing, here is your bus pass. It will allow you to go anywhere you like all over the US. Also it will allow you to bring up to ten passengers with you. This works with both wizarding and non-wizarding buses. I also set up an apartment for you and your brother the first three months rent has already been paid and it's under your name. Here's the address. All you need to do now is gather your things from Brightstaff and you can be on your way to a bright future," he said with a proud smile handing her a piece of paper.

"Thank you so much. I won't let you down I promise," she said and bowed taking the paper before taking her leave.

She took a bus to Brightstaff and began packing all of her things. There was no point leaving anything here this summer since she wouldn't be coming back again. Just as she finished her room mate Cilia walked in.

"Hey roomy, what's up you packing up this close to finishing? What's the matter did you get expelled?" Cilia asked snidely.

"No Cilia, there isn't anything else I can learn here. I already have my final year exams taken so I won't have to see you another day for longer than I can bare," Xandria countered gladly.

"You can't do that! That's impossible! You'd have to be like the smartest person alive!" Cilia exclaimed.

"No, you just have to actually have a brain. Also, here's another little tid-bit. I have my Masters in every single subject. Spread the news. Harris just graduated and got her Masters in all of two hours. A new record," Xandria said as though it were nothing, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going home."

With that she walked out leaving a stunned Cilia gaping at the spot she had been standing in. She was just about to leave campus when Jordan stepped into her path.

"What do you want?" she asked with a blank face.

"I just wanted to say I hope to see you next year. Maybe this break will be good for us," he said.

"No, you don't get it. You broke up with me. You took my heart, crushed it, stabbed it, sliced and diced it into tiny little pieces, and then burned it to ash and then burned the ashes. You don't get another chance. In fact, I'm not coming back next year. I'm done. I have everything I need to begin an new life. The life I've always wanted. A life with my brother and his friends. You always wanted me to be where ever you were. Well, guess what? You just bought a one way ticket out of my life. Good bye and good riddance," Xandria said walking past him.

"You don't leave until I say you leave," Jordan said grabbing her arm and squeezing hard enough to leave a bruise.

"I don't take orders. Especially not from you," Xandria said swinging around and punching him in the face with the full weight of her body behind her fist, "You look better on the ground."

Finally she walked off campus and to the bus stop. After a few transfers she finally made it to Sunnydale. She stepped off the bus and took a big whiff of the air.

"Ah, it's so good to be home," she said before picking up her bags and making her way to her 'family' home.

She went to the door to the basement and knocked before waiting for an answer. It came in the form of her dear twin brother.

"Dria! You're back!" Xander exclaimed in excitement pulling her into a hug.

"Xan, I would hug you back but then I'd drop my bags on our feet," she said in a teasing tone with a wide smile on her face.

"Oh! Right your bags. Here let me take this one from you. Sorry about the clutter, I know it's always this way when you get back but it's different now. I'll have to figure out how to separate the place," Xander said rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Xan, I've got it all under control. Pack up your things. You don't have to stay here with them anymore," she said calmly taking her bag back and placing it by the door.

Xander didn't bother asking what she meant having noticed the calm tone she spoke in. It always meant she had a plan or knew something he didn't. Together they both got his things packed and a note left for their parents in two hours. They walked three blocks carrying all of their things and finally made it to the door of their new home.

Without hesitation Xandria unlocked the door and walked in Xander following. They set down their bags and took a look around to check the place out. As per Xandria's specifications there were four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a linen closet, a living room, and kitchen/dining room. The kitchen/dining room and living room had cream walls with oak wood floors and gray carpet respectively. The bathrooms had cream walls and white tiled floors with white sink, toilet and tub. The bedrooms all had cream walls and carpet. The place was completely furnished with light colored furniture.

"Sweet digs, Dria. How'd you land this?" Xander asked.

"I have connections my dear Xan. If you want anything changed just let me know and I'll fix it. That way we don't have to spend money unnecessarily," Xandria said.

"Well, my room is the wrong color," Xan said with a smile.

"Say no more," Xandria said and moved to his room before changing the walls to a pale blue, the carpet to a deep navy and the bedding to a midnight blue with powder blue sheets.

She then went to her room and changed the walls to a crimson red with gold splashes, the carpet to a tyrian purple, and the bedding royal blue with Princeton orange sheets and emerald green pillows.

"Perfection in its prime. This is absolutely perfect. Just a few final touches, and it will be totally complete," Xandria said to herself.

With a few swishes the bed grew to a king sized four poster bed with black curtains with amber splashes. The room also increased to twice the size with an undetectable extension charm. She then went about unpacking her things. Most of her clothes went into her dresser while her nice clothes went into her armorer. All her books filled the four bookshelves in nice neat categories. The rest of her things she carefully placed in either her desk, on her bedside tables, or in the trunk at the end of her bed. As for her bags she placed them neatly under her bed behind the shoes that lined the edges under her bed. Finally she placed her telescope in front of her window.

Once she had finished arranging her things she wandered over to Xan's room to see how he was settling in. She stood at his door before knocking.

"Come on in Dria," he called.

She walked in and asked, "So, how you settling in brother mine?"

"Well the room could be a bit bigger so could the bed but hey it's cool," he said.

"Xan, have you forgotten? Anything you need just let me know. I'll fix it. So, bed and room could be bigger? That's only two swishes and a flick away," she said before moving to the center of the room.

Like she said two swishes and a flick later the room doubled in size and the bed was now a king size.

"Now if you like I can make your bed a four poster like I did mine but that is totally up to you," she said.

"You mean those ones with the canopy and curtains all around it?" he asked in excitement.

"Those are the ones," she said with a smile at his enthusiasm.

"That would be totally awesome. I've dreamed of having one ever since you told me about yours at Brightstaff. By the way what happened with Cilia and Jordan," he asked curiously.

After another flick she responded, "Cilia I simply wowed with my achievements. Jordan I simply told off and sucker punched. So that's that."

She rubbed her arm absently in remembrance of the events keeping her eyes on the floor. Without a word Xan moved her hand and pushed up her sleeve to reveal the bruise that Jordan had left.

"He did this didn't he?" Xander asked through gritted teeth.

"It's nothing Xan. It could have been ten times worse. Besides I defended myself just fine," Xandria said pulling her sleeve back down.

"The hell it's nothing. He left a bruise on your arm. He's a bastard. I should hunt him down and show him what he deserves for treating you the way he did," he said starting to pace around his room in agitation.

"Xan calm down. The only physical abuse I received was this bruise and it was only because I pissed him off before I left," she said in a calming tone.

"Wait only physical abuse? What else was there? Why didn't you ever tell me about anything else?" Xan asked pulling her with him to the bed.

"I didn't want to worry you. It wasn't anything too important anyway," she said looking at her hands.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Dria, look at me. I know that every time you look at your hands instead of my eyes you're lying. Tell me what he did," Xan said tilting her chin up to look her in the eye.

"He just said some stupid shit and messed around with girls behind my back. And then he would say that we were taking a break every break so that he could go back to some girl back home. I just never wanted to realize it until he came back after spring break. Like I said I handled myself just fine. I just tend to be a little blind at times," she said with tears welling up in her eyes.

Xan simply pulled her into his chest and smoothed his hand up and down her back. Normally he wasn't that great with crying girls, but Dria was a completely different story. It just came naturally to him. He just followed his instincts. It seemed like he did this a lot for her over the summers when she came home, but he didn't mind. She did the same for him when he got sad or upset. They were just that close. Willow sometimes said that they had a psychic link. She said that it was the only thing that could possibly explain the way they could finish each others sentences, or communicate without a word or even eye contact. They just knew things. Like if one was refilling their drink with out a word they'd top off the others drink. Xan would always bring Dria her brush after he was done in the bathroom while they were getting ready in the mornings without her asking. Even when they were kids. The way they did things made it seem like they were more than brother and sister if you didn't know better. But enough about that, back to what's really going on.

Xan simply held Dria as she cried out her feelings. All the hurt, stress, everything. She knew that as long as Xan had a hold of her nothing could go wrong. Also he was the only one to ever see her cry. Not even their parents saw her cry. Not once. She held it in until she and Xan were alone. Then she'd silently cry in his arms and sometimes he in hers at the same time.

When her shoulders finally stopped shaking he led her out to the living room and sat her on the couch with a blanket to cuddle under. Then he went to the kitchen and made to cups of hot coco and grabbed a container of ice cream and two spoons before coming back and sitting down beside her. He clicked on the TV and found something interesting to watch and they just sat and drank their coco and ate the ice cream. This was usual after cry out routine. Comfort food and TV. It always worked to calm them down. Plus the comfort of having each other there was a great help as well. Everything else could wait till morning.

They woke up the next morning on the couch with empty cups and a quarter of a bucket of melted ice cream to clean up. Without words they went about cleaning up before showering and getting ready for the first full day of summer that Dria was home. Since they had two bathrooms they decided that one bathroom would be for guys while the other was for girls unless completely necessary of course. Also, they found out that they could take showers at the same time with no lack of hot water for either of them. It also sped up their morning routines. They could get ready at the same time rather than waiting for the other to get done with the bathroom. Also since Dria never really got into the use of make-up, it took the same amount of time for them to get ready so they were done at the same time as well.

"Okay, so what's on the agenda for today Dria?" Xan asked when they reconvened in the living room.

"Well, first we should probably call Will's and give her our new address and then I need to drop by the magic shop to talk to the guy about a job. This apartment ain't gonna pay for itself," Dria said.

"I'll call Will's and have her meet us there then we can go kay," Xan said and went to the phone.

Just before he picked it up though it started to ring.

"Hello?" Xan asked after picking it up.

"You little ingrates. You could have told us you were leaving. Then we wouldn't have had to call you. There's a box of junk your grandmother left to you little brats. It's sitting on the porch. Pick it up before tomorrow or it's going in the trash," their mother spat through the phone.

"We'll be there in a bit," Xan said calmly.

"Good. I don't want to see that thing any longer," she said before hanging up.

"Gran left us some of her belongings?" Dria asked in surprise.

"Apparently. They could have told us that about six years ago. Knowing Gran she probably left us a bundle. You still got the necklace she gave you right?" Xan asked.

"Never take it off," Dria said clutching the necklace that she kept hidden under her shirt.

"Good, I got a feeling we're gonna need both yours and mine," Xan said placing his hand over his also hidden under his shirt.

Dria never questioned Xan's feelings. They were rarely wrong. Why question what tends to be reliable? They walked to their parents house and grabbed the trunk from the porch and carried it back to the apartment. They sat it on the coffee table and then took off their necklaces for the first time since they got them. They linked them together to form the key to unlock the trunk before unlinking them and putting them back on.

Inside the trunk was a few of their gran's prized possessions. Along with her will and a few other legal documents. They left all but the will and legal documents in the trunk.

Finally Xan went to call Willow. When he finished they went to the magic shop.

"Hey guys! Oh my gosh! Xandria you look great! I feel like I haven't seen you in years. Even though I know it's only been since last summer. And now I'm babbling again. You know I really don't know why I always babble. Especially around you since I know you so well. And I'm just gonna stop talking now," Willow said blushing lightly.

"Wills is okay. I tend to babble a lot too. Besides, I missed you over the school year. I really do miss hearing Willow babble," Dria said with a smile before hugging Willow.

"So, Xan said you guys have an apartment now? That's great! Now you guys don't have to worry about your parents," Willow said.

"Yeah, we'll show you as soon as we run a couple errands. You can come with if you want," Dria offered.

"Coolsville," Willow said following them into the magic shop.

"Can I help you?" a man called from a back room.

Upon coming out and getting a look at them he said, "I'll have you know this is a business and I only accept paying customers, not children who's allowance probably isn't enough to purchase even the cheapest item in this store."

"Well, that's a bit rude. I do hope you aren't talking to us like that," Xandria said lightly.

"Well who else would I be talking to. There are no other children in this store," he said snidely.

"Perhaps I should properly introduce myself before taking your words to heart. I'm Alexandria Harris. Mr. Wellington said he spoke to you about a job for me," she said calmly even though she'd like nothing more than to verbally lash him into a thousand pieces.

"Ah, well the way he talked about you I had assumed that you would be a bit, well, more. You see I don't need some little girly bookworm working here. I need someone who can compete against the toughest of items. Someone who has been through hell and back and survived. You are far from that," he said venomously.

"I'll prove to you that I'm more than capable of anything you swing at me. You never know I just might surprise you," she said with a twinkle in her eye.

Xander knew all to well that she had something nasty in mind whenever that twinkle came into play and wisely took a step back.

"Really? I'd love to see that. Get me these items exactly as they are written and have one of these two record you as you do it for proof then I might have another test for you," he said shortly whipping out a list of ingredients.

The list read as follows:

**Items needed:**

**Red Clover (gathered from under the light of the 1****st****moon for greatest potency)**

**Bay Leaves (gathered at sunrise for best use in clairvoyance potions)**

**Comfrey Leaves (gathered at high noon best for healing)**

**Dandelion Leaves (gathered at dusk best for divination)**

**Feverfew (gathered under the light of the full moon best for health)**

**Dried Fig (gathered under the light of the new moon best of fertility spells)**

**Ginseng (gathered under the light of the 3****rd**** quarter moon and ground into a powder under the new moon best for rejuvenation)**

**Hibiscus Flower (gathered at sunset for best aphrodisiac qualities)**

**Mandrake Root (gathered under the light of the waning crescent best for gaining wealth)**

**Yarrow Flower (gathered under the light of the waning gibbous best for dispelling melancholy)**

"You do realized that the times you want these herbs gathered is all wrong for the results you want right?" Dria asked looking skeptically at the list.

"Oh, now you think you know more than I do huh? Well, we'll just see about that. Just gather them as they are listed. I've never had an angry customer before. They work just fine," he said harshly.

"You know what? I'm done arguing with you. I'll have these to you by the end of the month. Have a pleasant day sir," Dria said and without a word she stalked out of the shop with Xander and Willow sprinting after her.

After a block Dria halted and spun around before saying, "Red Clover should be gathered under the Full Moon for the greatest potency; Bay Leaves and Dandelion Leaves should both be gathered at Twilight; Comfrey Leaves, Feverfew, Dried Fig, and Mandrake Root should be gathered under the waxing crescent; Ginseng, Hibiscus Flower, and Yarrow Flower should all be gathered under the Full Moon. He seriously has to be completely stupid to think that the times he gave could possibly be correct. Maybe the reason he hasn't had any complaints is because they never come back. I'll show him just how well he knows his stuff. I didn't pass every single subject with masters for nothing after all."

"How do you know all this stuff? I mean I know you went to a school of magic but I didn't think they'd teach you about paganism there. I mean don't you just wave a stick around to do your magic?" Willow asked.

"That's all most of the kids that went cared to learn. I insisted on taking every single subject they offered. From wand crafting to wand less magic to potion making to non-magical studies to the studies of each religion. There is literally no subject I haven't studied yet. To be honest I probably don't even need to go to high school but I don't care," Dria said.

"So, you got a masters in every subject known to man-kind?" Willow asked stunned.

"Pretty much, I'm pretty sure I might even be qualified for the highest degree for each subject. I really don't care though. Even if all I can take are electives I'm still going to go to school with you guys. I made a promise and I intend to stick to it," Dria said.

"So basically you are probably going to end up playing tutor?" Xan asked jokingly.

"From what you told me about your grades I'm definitely going to make sure you understand what is going on in the classroom. Or at least explaining it to you in a fun way. All it takes is the right two subjects combined to make everything make sense. I'm surprised you never tried that Wills," Dria said matter of factually.

"Well, I did try once but I don't know nearly enough about the comic books he reads for it to work. Just when I thought I was making some head way into helping him get the subject he'd throw out some fact that I didn't know about so I had to start all over. It was like he was purposely cutting me off," Willow said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Knowing Xan that was most definitely the intent. However, that won't work with me. Don't forget dear Xan that I grew up with you so I know about every single comic book you've ever read in you life plus some. I even know of some that are from different countries. I managed to get my hands on a copy of every single issue of every single series of comics from all over the world. They're all in pristine condition. Thankfully though I am able to make replicas so that I can keep the original copies in mint condition. So, listen here dear brother mine. I will be sure to have you studying every night and by the end of the night you will understand exactly what's going on in every single class," Dria said with a maniacal look in her eyes as she looked at Xan.

"You know, you can be really scary Dri," Xan said ducking behind Willow.

"Maybe if you didn't fall sleep in class you wouldn't be on the receiving end of such looks Xander," Willow said with a giggle.

"You sleep in class?" Dria asked incredulously.

"Only every once in a while, and only when the lesson is especially boring," Xander replied in a meek voice.

"Xander boring or not you need to pay attention. Trust me I know what a snoozeville class is like. Remember those history classes I told you about? They were all taught by ghosts with monotone voices. After some research I found that there is a school in Britain that also has a history class that's taught by a monotone ghost. I think it's like a tradition or something," Dria joked at the end.

"You had ghosts for teachers?" Willow asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah, its not really that big a deal. I learned about a lot weirder things than ghosts. I'll lend you one of my books sometime. You'll find that there's not much that can surprise me anymore," Dria said, "Now, we need to make one more stop before we head home."

"Where are we going?" Willow asked.

"We need to speak with Gran's lawyer. Just to get a few things nailed out. If what she left us is what I think it is then Xan and I unpacked for nothing," Dria said.

Willow didn't ask anymore as she followed them to their destination. When they got there and talked to the receptionist the lawyer had them go right in, in the middle of a meeting. Apparently it was pretty important that they got in asap. Willow was told to stay in the waiting room where the receptionist would get her anything she needed.

"I've been waiting for you two to get in. I realized I would have to wait until you were old enough to take care of yourselves but this is cutting it pretty close," the lawyer, Daniel Wetburn, said.

"Close for what?" Xander asked.

"Well, Catherine had some rather specific instructions as to what she wanted for you two. She left everything to you two. All of her money, assets, and all of her worldly possessions. Also you two were supposed to be brought here along with the chest on your tenth birthday so that you could be informed of all of this and so that we could inform your parents of the fact that you were going to be emancipated on your thirteenth birthday. There was a letter for your parents on the trunk telling them to bring you in on your tenth birthday," Daniel said.

"Maybe Gran didn't tell you, but our parents don't do anything for us especially not on Gran's orders," Dria said.

"Plus, as long as they could claim us and dependents they could get government money that they could use for booze," Xan said.

"Well, luckily all the paperwork for your emancipation was already filled out all that needed done was dates, ages, and signatures. So, all I need is for you two to sign on the dotted line," Daniel said.

They both did as told and then Daniel simply tapped the stack of paperwork with his finger and it disappeared.

"Whoa! You never said that you knew magic!" Xan exclaimed in surprise.

"Catherine wouldn't have it any other way. It is the quickest way to get anything done. Now, according to Catherine's will her house has been held by the state until you came forward to claim it. Trust me I had to fight tooth and nail to keep it held. Usually, they won't hold reality for more than two years. You can imagine that an extension only happens for certain clients," Dan said.

"So, you've been holding her house for an extra six years than necessary? We can't thank you enough for holding it. Thank you so much," Dria said.

"Her only request is that you choose your friends wisely. Don't let anyone know exactly how much money you have and don't let anyone know where the house is unless you feel that you can trust them with your life. I'm sure once you see it again for yourselves you'll understand what she means. She spent her last few years making sure the house had anything you might need. Also, the apartment you own, you'll find something very special through the door joining your rooms together. Yes, I know about that. The apartment was Catherine's. When Mr. Wellington called looking for an apartment I made sure to give him that address," Daniel said.

"What door between our rooms, I didn't see one?" they asked.

"Look at the wall between your rooms very carefully. I think you'll see what I'm talking about," Daniel said, "Now, all we need to do is transfer all the accounts and deeds into your names and everything will be set. Also, Catherine insisted that both your names be on the accounts so that neither of you can go spending money meaninglessly. Whenever one of you makes a purchase without the other present the other will get a phone call to confirm the purchase. She said you two were nearly inseparable so it shouldn't be a problem often."

"That's fine. Gran's wish is our command," Dria said.

After a few more papers to sign and finger taps all the paperwork was done and filed. They even got debt cards so that they didn't have to worry about having money on them. The cards had anti-theft charms on them so there were absolutely no worries. They gathered Willow from the waiting area and brought her back to the apartment to let her see it. They decided that for the time being they wouldn't tell anybody anything. Just that their gran left them a little money so that they wouldn't be too tight on cash and that she had them emancipated. Nothing more until they knew exactly who to trust. Don't doubt that they loved Willow to pieces, but she was horrible with secrets. Until that habit was curbed they wouldn't tell her a thing. It was better this way. At least now, they could just worry about themselves and have fun.

They all played games and talked and just hung out. Willow ended up calling her mom to let her know that she was going to stay over at their place for the night. After a quick check of the calendar Dria found that it was the night of the waxing crescent and decided to make a quick stop to get a video recorder. She also stopped to get she and Xan cellphones before heading home.

"So, what was the phone call about?" Willow asked.

"Just the bank confirming the purchases that Dria made. Gran set it up so that neither of us could buy something without the others consent. Wasn't the worst idea. After all someone's gotta keep our spending habits under control. Who better than each other?" Xan asked.

"Oh, well I guess that's a good idea. I didn't know you and Dria ever spent money on any useless things. I thought you only ever used it for what you needed," Willow said skeptically.

"We usually don't because we're usually together. When we're not it's another story. Plus we usually don't have much to spend. When we get a lot we don't really know what to do with it all. So Gran's set up is a big help in curbing the spending habits," Xan explained.

"How much did your gran leave you, cause it sounds like she left you a bunch?" she asked.

"Like we said, she left us enough to make sure we weren't tight on cash," Xan said.

"Do you not trust me?" Willow asked sounding hurt and adding tears into the mix.

"Wills, we trust you, its just that you tend to say whatever pops into your head when you babble. We told you the most important stuff. The specifics aren't needed. To be honest neither of us even looked at the exact amount Gran left us. So, don't ever think we don't trust you Wills," Dria said as she walked back into the apartment.

"So, you really don't know how much she left you? You're not just hiding it from me?" Willow asked.

"Willow, we wouldn't lie to you. All we know is that she had money. We don't know how much. She left us money and she emancipated us. She also left us all her worldly possessions. That's it. Nothing more," Dria assured.

"Okay, for a second I thought you guys didn't trust me with as vague as you were being. So, what are you planning now?" Willow asked slightly more cheerful.

"Well, I need you guys to record me gathering the ingredients that need to be gathered. I'm going to gather one set my way and another set his way. Then I'll have him test them to see which set works best. If this doesn't show him my qualifications then I don't know what will," Dria said.

"So, where are we headed then?" Xan asked.

"Remember our secret base?" Dria asked.

"Yeah, it was our safe haven," Xan said.

"Well, a few years ago I made an herb garden there. It's the perfect spot because it catches all the light from the sun and the moon. So, I figured that it would be the best place to gather the herbs," Dria said.

"Well, let's go then if we hurry you can gather the Hibiscus Flower at sunset before you gather the others," Xan said taking the camcorder from Dria as they all headed out the door.

Xan and Dria led the way to their secret base in the middle of the woods around the park. Up in the tallest tree was a tree house hidden in the knot hole was a rope that brought down the rope ladder. On the roof of the tree house was a little greenhouse. Inside the greenhouse was every single kind of magical and non-magical ingredients needed for both witchcraft and Wicca. Willow was a little thrown at how big the garden was even though it just looked so small from the outside. After a little explanation from Dria she got the idea though.

"All right, we're rolling in three, two, one, action," Xan said as he started the tape.

"Okay, this is my garden full of magical and non-magical ingredients. As ordered I am here to gather the Hibiscus Flower. It's only a few minutes before sunset so I thought I would let you know that the meaning behind sunset is to look into the past. So, for the Hibiscus to be used as an aphrodisiac this isn't the best time to gather it because all it will do is cause the one it's given to is make them think of past relationships not fuel them for the current one. Well, here is the Hibiscus and I will pick a dozen of them because that is how many I usually pick to replenish my own stores. I will be back again on the Full Moon to gather them again. This is when it is best to gather them because this is when the qualities wanted will be most prominent," Dria said carefully plucking the needed flowers, "Also, tonight I will be gathering: Comfrey Leaves, Fever few, Dried Fig, Mandrake Root, and Ginseng. Tonight is the night of the Waxing crescent and this is the night that would be best to gather ingredients for healing and health, rejuvenation, gaining wealth, and fertility. Among many other things. You will find that the ingredients gathered at the times that I specify will have much more potency. I will prove to you sir that I did not gain my masters based on pure luck. When I put my mind to learning something I put all of my will power into making sure I know even the tiniest facts about the subject. Now that I have rambled on as you can see the moon is high in the sky at the perfect height to gather ingredients under."

She then plucked a dozen of each ingredient before looking back at the camera and saying, "At Twilight I will gather Bay Leaves and Dandelion Leaves as this is the best time to gather ingredients for divination and clairvoyance and any other related need. I will be here again at Sunrise to gather Bay Leaves as directed, then again at Noon to gather Comfrey Leaves also as directed. After that I will return on the 1st quarter to gather Red Clover, and Full Moon for Fever Few as directed. Also on the Full Moon I will be gathering Red Clover for greatest potency, along with Hibiscus Flower, and Yarrow Flower as this is when it's best to gather ingredients for aphrodisiacs and dispellants of melancholy. Also I will be grinding the Ginseng I gathered tonight. At the 3rd quarter I will gather Ginseng as directed. Yarrow Flower will be gathered at the Waning Gibbous and Mandrake root will be gathered at the Waning Crescent both as directed. Finally on the New Moon I will be collecting Dried Fig and grinding the Ginseng I gather on the 3rd quarter as directed."

"Okay so it is now Twilight so it is time to gather Bay Leaves and Dandelion Leaves," Dria said before gathering the said items.

"Okay now all that's left is to gather the Bay Leaves at sunrise. That will be a few hours yet so for now I'll start pruning and weeding out the garden here. I'll keep this running so that you know of my capabilities with tending to all types of plants. During this you will find that I don't merely have non-magical plants here I also have several species of magical plants as well. I have tended to them all for many years. Also my brother has helped me as well so the only one here who has no experience is Willow. I'll have her hold the camcorder safely away from any potentially dangerous plants. Don't need any casualties here. So, Xan hand Wills the camcorder. Will I need you to trust me and do as I say no matter what. Especially when it comes to the magical plants. Xan don't forget the safety measures I grilled into you. Oh and both of you will need these when we get to the mandrakes. The real mandrakes not the ones I picked here. Real mandrakes would be quite pissed if I were to try and take a single root with out dispatching it first," Dria said handing them both a set of earmuffs.

With that Dria and Xan set off around the greenhouse pruning and weeding around all the plants. Willow stood exactly where she was told without a fuss at all. When they finished it was finally sunrise so they made their way back to the set of plants that were not dangerous. Dria gathered the bay leaves and then turned back to the camera.

"Okay well I'm done here for the night I will resume at noon to gather the Comfrey leaves. Until then this is goodbye," Dria said before nodding at Willow to turn off the camera.

"Wow! You really know your stuff Xandria. Is there anyway you would be willing to teach me?" Willow asked.

"Sure, just as long as you head this warning. Magic can be addictive I will be keeping an eye on you at all times just to be sure you aren't getting too ahead of yourself. Magic is not something to take lightly. It's serious and can be very dangerous. If I tell you to slow down or take a break please don't brush me off. I'm not entirely sure how earth magic reacts here so we're going to take things slowly. There are also certain holidays that are celebrated that if you wish you can celebrate with Xan and I. It is your choice and I won't force it on you," Dria said firmly yet softly.

"I will do anything you say. I am extremely interested, I'm not entirely sure if it's just because I don't know about it or if it's more than that," Willow said.

"Tell you what. I'll give you one of the history books that I have and if you find that there is a serious interest still there then I'll begin your education. It's mainly going to be theoretical work until I find out how earth magic works here. There is definitely a strong malicious mystical vibe here. I might have to do some nosing around during my free time and maybe I can find the source," Dria said.

"For now how about we get home and catch some z's before we have to get back here at noon," Xan suggested giving a yawn.


End file.
